Table Skittles or Bar Skittles

One of the most popular of the traditional pub games. Known also as ‘Devil Amongst the Tailors’, indoor skittles, pub skittles, nine pins and bar pins.

Storage box

A built-in storage box holds all the loose bits – nine skittles, ball and chain, two mast sections and four scoring pegs.

Cribbage-style score-board

The score board, with four wooden pegs, is located inside the storage box, to prevent the pegs being dislodged by flying skittles and to stop the holes in the score-board becoming dust collectors.

Rules

The rules and instructions for playing Table Skittles are sealed onto the underside of the storage box lid. Easy to read – and you won't forget where you put them!

Dimensions:

Main board:	63 x 43 cm (25 x 17")
Mast height:	75 cm (30")
Skittle height:	70 mm (2 3/4")
Skittle diameter:	22 mm (7/8")
Ball diameter:	37 mm (1½")
Weight (approx):	3 kg (6½ lbs)

Markings for skittle positions

Markings won't wear off because I use brass dome-headed pins for permanent skittle markers. A dimple at the ends of the skittles locates them accurately over their marks.

Mast

The two sections of the mast are connected together, and to their base, with solid brass screwed fittings, similar to those used on snooker cues and walking sticks.

Ball and chain

The wooden ball is attached to a non-tangle brass chain, which in turn is fastened to a brass swivel at the top of the mast.

Precise and accurate play

A brass insert in the top of the mast allows the swivel to rotate easily and smoothly, for precise and accurate play.

Safety warning

Attention to detail

As a further example of the attention to detail – the small brass turn-buttons securing the storage box lid are fitted with tiny friction washers, to ensure the lid remains closed when the game is stored on its side.

Real British hardwood

Solid English ash is used for the frames of the main board and skittle platform.

Dovetail joints

Dovetail joints are used at the corners of both the main frame and skittle platform. They have great strength and durability, and they look good too!

Oak plywood

The base and skittle platform are oak-veneered plywood.

Skittles

Ramin, a fine-grained wood resistant to splitting, is used for the skittles, mast and scoring pegs.

Oil finish

All wood surfaces are sand to a smooth, lustrous finish then protected with a special blend of organic oils, allowing the natural beauty of the wood to show through. The oil soaks into the wood, sealing it against dust and moisture. Unlike some other finishes, which lie mostly on the surface of the wood, it can't be chipped, an important consideration when skittles are flying around! Special driers in the oil ensures that it dries to a hard durable finish.

Table protection

The underside of the Table Skittles board is covered with green baize to protect any polished surface it's placed on.

Comparison with other examples of Table Skittles or Bar Skittles

A good deal of thought went into the design of my Table Skittles. Although a traditional pub game, there are several ways of making them. I addressed problems I observed on some older Bar Skittles, and took care in the design and construction to overcome them.

• Mast – The mast, if sectional, often had push-fit joints that became difficult to dismantle. I use solid brass screwed connectors, like those used on walking sticks and snooker cues.
• Wood and joints – Old commercial Table Skittles or Bar Skittles were often made of a cheap softwood, and the corner joints were just nailed, and perhaps glued. I use English ash, traditionally used for the handles of woodworking tools because it is so tough and durable. Accurately cut dovetail joints are used for the corner joints, providing a strong, durable box which should last a lifetime.
• Swivel – Various means of making a swivelling joint to attach the ball and chain to the top of the mast have been tried in the past. Often they became difficult to turn, resulting in the chain becoming tangled around the mast. My design looks, and is, fairly simple and creates a free-swivelling joint allowing the ball to swing easily and smoothly around the mast. The ‘L’ shaped part, attached to the chain, is solid-brass and sits inside a tubular brass seat in the top of the mast. No iron or steel parts are used as these might corrode, preventing the swivel from turning freely.
• Markings – The markings for the skittle positions were often just painted on and wore off after a while. I use brass, dome-head furniture pins to mark the skittle positions. Each skittle has a domed depression at each end that positively locates it over the brass pins.
• Storage – When not in use, the skittles were often stored in an open box at one end of the main board. This meant that the game could only be stored flat. I provide a lidded storage box to hold all the loose parts, so that you have the option of storing them on edge.
• Rules – The rules for playing Table Skittles are sealed onto the underside of the storage box lid, which means they're always to hand and don't become dog-eared.
• Scoreboard – Old Table Skittle sets had a Cribbage-style score-board comprised of two sets of pegs that are moved along a row of holes. My Table Skittles also have this, but it's placed inside the storage box so that the pegs can't become dislodged by flying skittles, and the holes stay free of dust when the game is stored away.
• Lining – The inside of the main skittle board was often lined with green baize, presumably to either cover an inferior plywood base or an attempt to reduce the noise of the skittles being knocked off the platform. The baize, having become worn and shabby with age, was not easy to replace. In any case, the sound of all nine skittles clattering onto the board is one to be enjoyed and relished! For the main board and the top of the skittle platform I use oak-veneered plywood, which looks good and doesn't require any maintenance.